Cass

The Cass County Sheriff's Office was busy Saturday, investigating a series of accidents within a five-hour span. One person was hurt in each of the four crashes, the first of which occurred about 11:15 a.m. on Barron Lake Road, east of Niles. Police said Duane Bailey Jr., 46, of Dowagiac, was driving south near Korn Street when his auto overturned on an icy patch and struck a tree. Bailey was unhurt, police said, but a passenger, Patricia Bailey, 45, of Dowagiac, was taken to Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles.

CASSOPOLIS -- All Cass County parents and caregivers are invited to the Great Start Parent Coalition meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 305 W. State St. The topic is the importance of early childhood for families and the community. Those bringing a guest will receive a $10 gift card. Free dinner, door prizes, and free child care/playtime are provided. Transportation is available upon request. Reservations are due Friday to Anastasia Dykins, parent liaison, at 269-240-8328, or adykins@lewiscassisd.org.

CASSOPOLIS -- The Cass County Sheriff's Office will offer a snowmobile safety class from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at the county Emergency Management/E-911 Building, 130 N. Broadway St. The course is required for anyone 12 to 17 who operates a snowmobile in Michigan. To preregister, participants should call 269-445-1240 between 9 and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The last day to preregister is Jan. 17.

CASSOPOLIS -- The Cass County Road Commission has amended its policy on mailbox replacement to add a deadline for requests submitted by county residents. The commission set a deadline of May 1 each year for residents to notify the office if their mailboxes were damaged or destroyed by road crews operating road equipment during the winter season. Residents are reimbursed $20 toward the cost of a new box.

CASSOPOLIS -- A South Bend man was transported to Dowagiac's Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital after a two-car crash at Dailey Road and Pokagon Highway. The Cass County Sheriff's Office said Emmanuel Jacobs, 22, was northbound on Dailey about 12:30 p.m. Monday when he failed to stop at a sign and traffic signal and his car was struck by an eastbound auto driven by James Hershberger, 24, of Vandalia. Hershberger wasn't hurt, police said. Both Jacobs and Hershberger were restrained by belts, officers reported.

CASSOPOLIS -- Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz has announced his intention to seek a third four-year term. Appointed to the post in May 2003 by Cass Circuit Court Judge Michael Dodge, Fitz has worked in the prosecution field since 1983. As Cass prosecutor, he said, his office has compiled a 91 percent conviction rate in circuit court jury trials, including a 100 percent rate in murder trials and 95 percent in drug cases. "This sends a clear message: When drug dealers, violent offenders and other criminals take us to trial, they will be convicted," he said.

The Cass County Sheriff's Department was busy Saturday, investigating a series of accidents within a five-hour span. One person was hurt in each of the four crashes, the first of which occurred about 11:15 a.m. on Barron Lake Road, east of Niles. Police said Duane Bailey Jr., 46, of Dowagiac, was driving south near Korn Street when his auto overturned on an icy patch and struck a tree. Bailey was unhurt, police said, but a passenger, Patricia Bailey, 45, of Dowagiac, was taken to Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles.

CASSOPOLIS - All Cass County families to join the Great Start Parent Coalition as we help support our local businesses with a Shopping Fair from 6 -7:30 p.m. on Monday in the new Early Childhood Wing of Squires, 725 Center St., Cassopolis. Please use the York Street entrance to the back side of the building. This event will have representatives from Mary Kay, Photos 4 u 2 Love, Who kNew Consignment, Gathering Grains, Utopia Coffee Shop and Bakery, SpaToePia, Thirty One, Scentsy, a personal trainer, and more.

The Duke of Cassopolis. Wellington “Duke” Jones III , of Cassopolis, was recently elected president of the Southwestern Michigan College Foundation board of directors. Michael O'Neil , of Buchanan, was elected vice president. As everyone knows, Duke is vice chairman of the board of 1st Source Corp. He is active in a number of service boards, including Girl Scouts of the Singing Sands, United Way of St. Joseph County, Center for History, South Bend Entertainment Board, Ronald McDonald House, Memorial Hospital Foundation and several more.

CASSOPOLIS -- The Cassopolis defense shined brightly in a 42-0 shutout of Bridgman in a Lakeland Conference game Friday. The Rangers held the Bees to four total yards, including minus 8 rushing. DaShaun Curtis and Marcus Ruff each ran for two touchdowns for the Rangers, 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the league. Ruff finished with 82 yards rushing on just seven carries. Evan Brown and Nathan Hartline each added scoring runs for Cassopolis.

CASSOPOLIS -- A Chicago teenager is facing a likely prison sentence after a Cass County jury convicted him Thursday of eight felony charges stemming from the April 2012 armed robbery of a pizza delivery driver in Dowagiac. Cass Prosecutor Victor Fitz said the jury took just one hour to convict Dylin Ackah-Essien, 18, of the charges, including an armed robbery offense punishable by as much as life in prison. Fitz referred to Ackah-Essien as the "ringleader" of a group of four Chicago-area youths who had been visiting a friend in the Dowagiac area and collaborated to rob the driver by ordering pizzas and having him deliver them to an abandoned home on Thickstun Street in Dowagiac.

CASSOPOLIS -- All rise, indeed. As graduates of drug treatment programs sponsored by Cass County District and Circuit courts pointed out Tuesday, those words -- all rise -- are spoken when a judge enters and leaves a courtroom. They're spoken as well at the start of so-called drug court treatment programs in Cass, when the words take on a new meaning. "It captures the essence of what drug court does," said similarly named Essence Romans, one of several drug court graduates who spoke at a ceremony celebrating their accomplishment.

If you're planning to drive in Cass County over the next month, you could face some delays. A big road resurfacing project kicked off this week, WSBT reported. Crews will be repaving U.S. 12 from Michigan 62 in Edwardsburg to Mason Street in Union and M-217 from the Indiana/Michigan state line to U.S. 12 in Union. Michigan's Department of Transportation says to expect delays because there will be single-lane closings. The work is expected to take more than a month, wrapping up June 28.

VANDALIA -- It was more than just history coming alive recently at a presentation of the Cass County Underground Railroad Wax Museum at the newly restored Bonine House outside of Vandalia. It was a chance for people young and old to learn more about their Cass County roots. The event held the last Saturday in April was a collaboration between Sam Adams Elementary School in Cassopolis and the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County. Local elementary students dressed in period costume to portray historical characters and “came to life” to talk about them when people pushed a button on their hand.

NILES - We Can Ride 4-H Club will have a Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser from 2 to 5 p.m. April 28 at Joey Armidillo's in Niles. Admission price will be $10 per bowler, and cash donations and pledges are also accepted. We Can Ride is a horse-riding 4-H club for special needs children from Cass and Berrien counties. They learn to ride, show and care for horses through the summer and participate in the Berrien County Youth Fair. The Bowl-a-Thon raises money to keep the program affordable for families of children with special needs including autism, Down syndrome, and other physical and developmental challenges.

CASSOPOLIS -- The Cass County 4-H Leaders Association will host the Cass County 4-H Auction, a silent and live auction, on Saturday at the Cass County Fairgrounds in the Gregarek Building, 590 N. O'Keefe St. The live auction items will be ready for viewing by 9 a.m., and the auction will begin at 10 a.m. Along with the live auction, there will be food items for sale and a silent auction. Winners of the silent auction will be announced at the conclusion of the live auction.

CASSOPOLIS -- Niles attorney Carol Montavon Bealor has been named Friend of the Court/Family Court Administrator for Cass County Probate and Family courts. Specializing in litigation, family and criminal law and child protective proceedings, Bealor has served as a public defender and a team member of Cass County family treatment, sobriety and adult treatment courts. The University of Notre Dame graduate also has been involved in domestic relations mediation. The operator of a private law practice in Niles since 2005, her new duties will include assisting with management of Cass Family Court, managing payment and collection of child support and handling custody and temporary custody issues.

CASSOPOLIS - A Cass County jury has convicted an Edwardsburg man of 13 felonies ranging from operation of a meth lab to possessing a bomb, Cass Prosecutor Victor Fitz reported Friday. Fiitz said the jury took just 90 minutes Wednesday to convict Scott Blaisdell, 54, who also was found not guilty of possession of a bomb with unlawful intent and one count of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. Blaisdell was convicted, however, of six other felony firearm counts, Fitz said.

CASSOPOLIS -- A public hearing to discuss the possibility of restoring an historic bridge in St. Joseph County (Mich.) and relocating it to Cass County has been set for 4 to 6 p.m. April 11 at the Cass County Road Commission, 340 N. O'Keefe St. Currently spanning the Prairie River, east of Centreville, the Michigan 86 Bridge would be restored under the proposal and moved to Crystal Springs Street over the Dowagiac River, south of Dowagiac. Officials with the Michigan Department of Transportation and Cass County Road Commission said the bridge no longer meets MDOT width standards for a state trunkline but it would meet the needs of the road in Cass County.

CASSOPOLIS -- By a vote of 4-1, Cass County Road Commissioners decided to repair the county's owned and operated asphalt plant at a cost of $205,000. The decision not only saves money but the fate of six jobs. The plant is in a gravel pit north of its main headquarters on North O'Keefe Street. The county has about 1,000 miles of roads to maintain, costing $84,967 per mile to pave with its own manufactured asphalt. The cost to hire a private contractor would be 11 percent higher or more, said Michael Harris, director of operations.